WASHINGTON/TEHRAN — The United States carried out reported strikes against Iran's Qeshm Island on Monday, even as Vice President JD Vance expressed optimism about reaching a negotiated settlement with Tehran.
The strikes, described by U.S. officials as limited and conducted secretly to avoid signaling major combat escalation, targeted the strategically located island in the Persian Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz. The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed U.S. officials, reported that the operations aimed to restrict Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping in the vital waterway.
Qeshm Island, the largest island in the Persian Gulf, has emerged as a concern amid reports that Iran has positioned anti-ship missiles, mines, drones and attack craft in underground tunnels there. The military campaign against Iran has been kept quiet on purpose, officials said, so as not to signal any intention of resuming major combat operations.
Earlier Monday, Vance told CNN the administration felt 'really good about the prospect of potentially coming to a negotiated settlement' with Iran. President Donald Trump had previously stated the U.S. must go to war with Iran to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons, saying on Monday: 'we're not going to allow Iran ever to have a nuclear weapon. And they understand that.'
The strikes occurred against a backdrop of intensifying diplomatic efforts. On Nov. 1, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump prefers to resolve the Iranian issue diplomatically and prefers not to use military force. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran's demands for peace had been clearly communicated to Washington, with the 'ball now in the U.S. court.'
The alleged U.S. attacks come on the eve of crucial midterm elections in the United States, with President Donald Trump's Republican Party fighting to keep control of the House and Senate. Iranian state media reported several explosions on Qeshm Island, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it had captured two U.S. reconnaissance drones south of the island using electronic warfare systems earlier Monday.
There was no immediate comment from Iranian authorities, and U.S. Central Command did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The reported actions highlight the fragile balance between military pressure and diplomatic overtures in the ongoing U.S.-Iran standoff.
